Friday, 3/9/07 at 6:35 PM
by Tara Llanes
by Tara Llanes
Mom's Questions
I thought it would be a good idea to have a bit of a Question and Answer session with none other than my Mom. My Mom has ridden bikes for about 10 years now off and on. She started because of a knee injury and has gone from pure beginner to what I’d call an intermediate rider. She has done the AIDS ride from San Francisco to L.A twice and has also done her fair share of mountain biking at her beloved Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California. I’ve asked her to throw out some questions for me that she always wanted to know the answers to or just needed a little reminder. Since I ride at quite a competitive level sometimes I don’t think of things maybe my Mom or a beginner would. A couple of the questions I may have touched on in a previous blog, but it never hurts to hear them again.
1. When you go on a ride for the first time and you get to a section that is steeper than anything you've ever done, what's the best way to get down it?
The first thing you want to do is get off your bike and look at the section coming up. You want to try and pick the cleanest safest line to the bottom. The section with the least holes or pockets that your wheel can get stuck in. Then once you’ve decided on the route that you want to take slowly roll into your line in the “attack” position. This means you want to have your arms and you legs bent a little bit to absorb the bumps. Keep your head up and looking ahead at all times. Keep at least two fingers on both of your brakes, but try to avoid hitting your front brake unless absolutely necessary. You can pull back on both of your brake levers evenly, which we call “feathering” your brakes. That means to just pull on them lightly. Not fast and abrupt. From there just try to keep your balance and keep steady. The more you keep you wheels rolling the easier it will be. The slower you go the more tendency your wheels have to get caught in a hole or rut.
2. What's the best way to ride loose rocky sections on a down slope? (Not really steep.)
The best way to ride rocky sections on a down slope is pretty much the same as steeper sections. You just want to get off and look at what you are going to ride down and then when you feel comfortable just remember to get in the “attack” position, stay off your front brake unless absolutely necessary, and stay LOOSE. Meaning don’t ride too stiff. Keep your arms and legs bent a little bit and let your bike move around underneath you. Don’t fight your bike.
3. When you approach an up hill section why is it you (meaning Tara) always click up to a harder gear and I have to click down to any easier gear or I won't make it up?
Well, it all depends on the climb and how steep it is. Some people like to push a harder gear and sort of “mash” down on the pedals. “Mashing” means having to push on your pedals while sort of pushing your upper body in the same sequence as your feet. So every time your foot pushes down so does your upper body so it feels easier on your legs. It would be like having a string on connecting your foot to your chest. Foot up chest up. Foot down chest down. Make sense?
However, some people like to spin, which would mean being in an easier gear. When I see a hill ahead I will usually stay in the gear I am in to keep the momentum going and as soon as I hit the hill and feel my pace slowing I will then ease up on my pedal stroke and change into an easier gear. For someone that is more of a beginner you should always look ahead and when you see the hill coming you should shift gears before you start climbing and slowing down. As a more experienced rider I know how to manipulate my bike to shift under pressure, which some beginners may not. So it is better to get in an easier gear beforehand and make it up the hill. But to answer your question I think if I actually shifted into a harder gear the hill must not have been that hard or I was feeling extra strong that day!
4. When you're on a flat long stretch is it better to be in a harder gear or an easier spinning gear?
That is a good question. I see a lot of riders on the trail or even on the road that are spinning their brains out on flat sections and I always think to myself, “Shift up, shift up!”
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily better to be in a harder gear on a flat section, but you want to be comfortable. And if you are spinning at 110+ rpm’s then that is a bit excessive. And that goes for harder gears as well. If your rpm’s are around 60 that is a bit excessive on the other end of the spectrum. All you have to do to figure out your rpm (revolutions per minute) is look at your watch and count how many times your right leg goes around in one minute. Normally when I am on an easy spin ride or just cruising along I try to keep my rpm’s around 85 or so. If you are either spinning too fast or too slow you can tire yourself out prematurely. So try to stay in the middle to where you are comfortable. Unless of course you are doing intervals in which case your training might call for faster or slower rpm’s.
5. What's the best way to get through a sandy riverbed and not get bogged down or spin out?
The best way is to look ahead and as you are coming up to it try to scout out the cleanest route that maybe has the least amount of sand. As you are coming into it be in a middle gear. Not too hard and not too easy. But if you had to choose between the two gears I would lean towards the harder gear. You want to pedal hard and get as much momentum as possible so that when you enter the sand and it pulls on your wheels the momentum can carry you through and hopefully you won’t have to get off your bike and walk. Keep your body loose and let your bike go where it wants to. The sand will feel like it is pulling the bike a bit, but let it go and try not to fight it. And don’t forget to keep pedaling!
6. What's the best way to get through a water stream if you're not sure how deep it is?
Getting through a stream of water similar to the sand. You should be in a middle gear, but be prepared to go into an easier gear if you feel like you start to get stuck. It is important to see what’s in the water and how deep it is. If you can’t tell then stop beforehand and pick up a rock and toss it in and that should give you a good indication. If you’ve decided you can ride through it use the same technique as the sand riverbed and stay loose. Stay seated and keep pedaling through the water and you should make it through just fine.
7. When starting up a long incline I stay seated, but when it gets too hard or too steep and I think I should stand up, it's usually too late. If I do stand up then I just spin out my rear wheel because I didn't have enough time to go to a harder gear. If I try to go to a harder gear as I stand, then I stall and have to step off. So how do you know in advance when to shift and stand before it's too late?
Well, unfortunately this answer comes in time and getting the feeling of shifting your bike and knowing what gears you are strong enough to push and which are too easy for you. When I am coming to a hill I can take one look at it and know how hard I am going to have to push or how easy of a gear I will have to be in. This is an experience thing, but you can do it. You just have to pay attention to the gears that you are in during your ride. Just keep a mental checklist of how many “clicks” you have made.
For instance at the beginning of the ride let’s say you got to a climb that wasn’t very big and you were in your middle ring in front and 5 gears down from the top in the rear. When you started climbing you shifted into an easier gear and you heard 3 “clicks”. And when you did that you did the climb perfectly.
Well, this next climb is steeper and a bit longer and you are tired because it is at the end of the ride. So you might need to be in your “granny” gear. Your “granny” gear is your smallest ring in the front and the biggest ring in the rear. That is the easiest gear you have on your bike. So prepare ahead of time as you see the hill coming and shift into that gear so that your are not struggling with too hard of a gear on the way up. Now if you put it in your “granny” gear and it ends up being too easy then you know for next time to try maybe your smallest ring in the front and maybe 2 clicks down from the biggest gear in the rear. It’s all trial and error, but just pay attention and you’ll get it.
I hope this Q & A session helped you and if not please write in and tell me and maybe I can explain it further.
Happy Trails!
Tara
1. When you go on a ride for the first time and you get to a section that is steeper than anything you've ever done, what's the best way to get down it?
The first thing you want to do is get off your bike and look at the section coming up. You want to try and pick the cleanest safest line to the bottom. The section with the least holes or pockets that your wheel can get stuck in. Then once you’ve decided on the route that you want to take slowly roll into your line in the “attack” position. This means you want to have your arms and you legs bent a little bit to absorb the bumps. Keep your head up and looking ahead at all times. Keep at least two fingers on both of your brakes, but try to avoid hitting your front brake unless absolutely necessary. You can pull back on both of your brake levers evenly, which we call “feathering” your brakes. That means to just pull on them lightly. Not fast and abrupt. From there just try to keep your balance and keep steady. The more you keep you wheels rolling the easier it will be. The slower you go the more tendency your wheels have to get caught in a hole or rut.
2. What's the best way to ride loose rocky sections on a down slope? (Not really steep.)
The best way to ride rocky sections on a down slope is pretty much the same as steeper sections. You just want to get off and look at what you are going to ride down and then when you feel comfortable just remember to get in the “attack” position, stay off your front brake unless absolutely necessary, and stay LOOSE. Meaning don’t ride too stiff. Keep your arms and legs bent a little bit and let your bike move around underneath you. Don’t fight your bike.
3. When you approach an up hill section why is it you (meaning Tara) always click up to a harder gear and I have to click down to any easier gear or I won't make it up?
Well, it all depends on the climb and how steep it is. Some people like to push a harder gear and sort of “mash” down on the pedals. “Mashing” means having to push on your pedals while sort of pushing your upper body in the same sequence as your feet. So every time your foot pushes down so does your upper body so it feels easier on your legs. It would be like having a string on connecting your foot to your chest. Foot up chest up. Foot down chest down. Make sense?
However, some people like to spin, which would mean being in an easier gear. When I see a hill ahead I will usually stay in the gear I am in to keep the momentum going and as soon as I hit the hill and feel my pace slowing I will then ease up on my pedal stroke and change into an easier gear. For someone that is more of a beginner you should always look ahead and when you see the hill coming you should shift gears before you start climbing and slowing down. As a more experienced rider I know how to manipulate my bike to shift under pressure, which some beginners may not. So it is better to get in an easier gear beforehand and make it up the hill. But to answer your question I think if I actually shifted into a harder gear the hill must not have been that hard or I was feeling extra strong that day!
4. When you're on a flat long stretch is it better to be in a harder gear or an easier spinning gear?
That is a good question. I see a lot of riders on the trail or even on the road that are spinning their brains out on flat sections and I always think to myself, “Shift up, shift up!”
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily better to be in a harder gear on a flat section, but you want to be comfortable. And if you are spinning at 110+ rpm’s then that is a bit excessive. And that goes for harder gears as well. If your rpm’s are around 60 that is a bit excessive on the other end of the spectrum. All you have to do to figure out your rpm (revolutions per minute) is look at your watch and count how many times your right leg goes around in one minute. Normally when I am on an easy spin ride or just cruising along I try to keep my rpm’s around 85 or so. If you are either spinning too fast or too slow you can tire yourself out prematurely. So try to stay in the middle to where you are comfortable. Unless of course you are doing intervals in which case your training might call for faster or slower rpm’s.
5. What's the best way to get through a sandy riverbed and not get bogged down or spin out?
The best way is to look ahead and as you are coming up to it try to scout out the cleanest route that maybe has the least amount of sand. As you are coming into it be in a middle gear. Not too hard and not too easy. But if you had to choose between the two gears I would lean towards the harder gear. You want to pedal hard and get as much momentum as possible so that when you enter the sand and it pulls on your wheels the momentum can carry you through and hopefully you won’t have to get off your bike and walk. Keep your body loose and let your bike go where it wants to. The sand will feel like it is pulling the bike a bit, but let it go and try not to fight it. And don’t forget to keep pedaling!
6. What's the best way to get through a water stream if you're not sure how deep it is?
Getting through a stream of water similar to the sand. You should be in a middle gear, but be prepared to go into an easier gear if you feel like you start to get stuck. It is important to see what’s in the water and how deep it is. If you can’t tell then stop beforehand and pick up a rock and toss it in and that should give you a good indication. If you’ve decided you can ride through it use the same technique as the sand riverbed and stay loose. Stay seated and keep pedaling through the water and you should make it through just fine.
7. When starting up a long incline I stay seated, but when it gets too hard or too steep and I think I should stand up, it's usually too late. If I do stand up then I just spin out my rear wheel because I didn't have enough time to go to a harder gear. If I try to go to a harder gear as I stand, then I stall and have to step off. So how do you know in advance when to shift and stand before it's too late?
Well, unfortunately this answer comes in time and getting the feeling of shifting your bike and knowing what gears you are strong enough to push and which are too easy for you. When I am coming to a hill I can take one look at it and know how hard I am going to have to push or how easy of a gear I will have to be in. This is an experience thing, but you can do it. You just have to pay attention to the gears that you are in during your ride. Just keep a mental checklist of how many “clicks” you have made.
For instance at the beginning of the ride let’s say you got to a climb that wasn’t very big and you were in your middle ring in front and 5 gears down from the top in the rear. When you started climbing you shifted into an easier gear and you heard 3 “clicks”. And when you did that you did the climb perfectly.
Well, this next climb is steeper and a bit longer and you are tired because it is at the end of the ride. So you might need to be in your “granny” gear. Your “granny” gear is your smallest ring in the front and the biggest ring in the rear. That is the easiest gear you have on your bike. So prepare ahead of time as you see the hill coming and shift into that gear so that your are not struggling with too hard of a gear on the way up. Now if you put it in your “granny” gear and it ends up being too easy then you know for next time to try maybe your smallest ring in the front and maybe 2 clicks down from the biggest gear in the rear. It’s all trial and error, but just pay attention and you’ll get it.
I hope this Q & A session helped you and if not please write in and tell me and maybe I can explain it further.
Happy Trails!
Tara
Comments
First of all, let me say that you are a totally awesome and fearless downhiller! I read your comments about scoping out the trail before attempting a steep, rocky section. I have found through experience that if I scope it out first, I have a tendency to psych myself out...not ride it! On the otherhand, if I just ride it blind, I have a much better chance because I am riding on instinct. How much do you ride on instinct?
Karen
#1.) Can someone tell me the difference betwenn an OCR and TCR?
#2.) I am 5'2" weighing in at 125. I was in a terrible 18 wheeler vs. truck vehicle accident in 2001 and have not done really any exercising since until I started this bike riding. I want to have the right fitted bike that will be helpful for me on the 75 to 150 mile runs. Please give me advise and suggestions.
Thanks for comments!
I know what you mean on riding on instinct and not really looking ahead and that way you don't think about it too much. You have to do what works best for you. Honestly I don't like when I don't know what's on the other side of something even if a friend of mine has explained it to me. I would rather get off my bike and check it out or roll up to it slowly and cruise down it instead of doing it blind. But that's just me.
When I ride with my friends at home that are just starting out and they are having a tough time getting over the fear of something I really get them to trust me. I pay attention to how they ride and react to things and if I think they can definitely do something I have them follow me down slowly and that way their minds are on following me and watching my wheels instead of what they are going down. I talk to them the whole time and tell them to feather their brakes or start to let off and to stay loose. It sort of distracts them and before they know it they are at the bottom and stoked!
I know that may not be an option and if not just repeat to yourself as you're going down.."stay loose". That is one of the most important things.
Hope that helps!
Tara
Don't feel overwhelmed... We'll definitely be here for you along the way!
The difference between the OCR and TCR series is simple: the TCR is a racing-oriented frame, all about being low and lean and fast. The OCR series has a more relaxed geometry which means you'll be more upright in the saddle and a lot more comfortable on longer rides. They are both built on a compact frame with a sloping top tube-- you get nimble handling and weight savings.
You sound like a perfect candidate for an OCR. This bike will be able to take you from short training runs to regular centuries. Whatever you decide spend some time at local bike shop. You'll want a lengthy test ride and a proper fitting.
Best of luck!
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